Rocket rig drilling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A well drilling apparatus includes multiple, transportable, modular, pre-assembled sections which include a substructure and multiple mast sections. These pre-assembled sections allow for a quicker complete rig-up of the well drilling apparatus at ground level in a horizontal direction, without the use of a crane. Once the assembly has been completed at ground level, the mast is raised to its vertical operating position via mechanisms for raising and lowering dog tails. During transport, the guide rails are built-in to the mast sections and the crown block is attached to the traveling block, thereby facilitating the rigging-up process. The mast may be lowered after the drilling operation has been accomplished without interfering with any blow-out preventer devices that may have been placed on the wellhead while the structure was at its raised operational level.

This application claims the benefit of both U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/708,478, filed Aug. 16, 2005, and U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/771,561, filed Feb. 8, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a well drilling apparatus andmore particularly to a well drilling apparatus that can be entirelyassembled horizontally at ground level and raised to a verticaloperating position for drilling oil and gas wells or the like. The welldrilling apparatus is modular and can be relocated easily from one siteto another without much disassembling.

BACKGROUND

For many drilling operations, it is necessary to drill relatively deepwells, thereby requiring longer drill strings and larger travelingblocks. These longer drill strings and larger traveling blocks, in turn,require the use of greater mast heights. To accommodate thisrequirement, usually mounted drawworks and other drilling equipment areplaced on an elevated equipment floor, which is elevated above groundlevel so as to provide clearance for a relatively tall blow-outprevention apparatus.

In order to accommodate the need for an elevated equipment floor,numerous structures have evolved, but have proven to be deficient inmany ways. Most particularly, prior art elevated floor structures haveproven to be relatively complex and time consuming to assemble at thedrilling site, and, for this reason, are expensive to assemble and use.In many such prior art structures, the elevated floor and then the mastmust be constructed and connected together in, essentially, apiece-by-piece operation, very often requiring the use of a crane whichthereby increases the expense. Further, when structures are finallyerected, the rigging or outfitting of them must be carried out at theelevated level further requiring the use of a crane and additionallycomplicating the rigging process.

Examples of such prior art structures include those which have arelatively low substructure supporting a tall mast, and the elevatedequipment floor is inserted in the mast at a given distance above groundlevel. Usually, an additional elevated support structure is provided forthe drawworks. In such an arrangement, the rigging operation must becarried out at an elevated level requiring the use of cranes and, priorto rigging being able to occur, it is necessary that separate raisingoperations be carried out for the various portions of the equipmentfloor. This arrangement, therefore, produces a complex arrangement forconstructing the elevated floor, as well as an expensive riggingoperation.

It is a desire of the present invention to provide a well drillingapparatus for drilling oil and gas wells or the like, in which thecomponent parts can be assembled horizontally at ground level and thenraised to a vertical position where they are operational and in whichall of the raising operations can be accomplished with power supplied bya pair of built-in hydraulically driven winches or a pair of built-indog tail spoolers. It is another desire of the present invention toprovide a well drilling apparatus that is modular and can be easilyrelocated from one site to another without much disassembling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a well drilling apparatus that is modular, easyto rig up and down and easy to transport. This well drilling apparatushas a pre-assembled modular substructure, at least one pre-assembledmodular mast intermediate section, and a pre-assembled modular top mastsection, which includes a traveling block and a crown block as a unit.The substructure comprises a mast starter section which has its frontlegs pivotally mounted to the substructure at the front leg mounts, anelevatable drill floor which is pivotally connected to the substructurevia supporting legs, at least one dog tail for pivotally raising theassembled mast to its vertical operating position, and a mast assemblyraising system. The mast intermediate sections and the top mast sectionare assembled at ground level, without requiring the use of a crane.Once the mast is assembled at ground level, the mast assembly raisingsystem raises the mast to its vertical operating position whilesimultaneously raising the elevatable drill floor. The elevatable drillfloor remains in a substantially horizontal position during the entireraising or lowering process.

The mast assembly raising system, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, includes a dog tail spooler located at the front endof the substructure, a first dog tail sheave located near the rear endof the substructure, a second dog tail sheave located at the top of thedog tail, a first sling line anchor point also located at the top of thedog tail, and a second sling line anchor point located along the lengthof the mast intermediate section. A dog tail line connects the dog tailspooler to the second dog tail sheave via the first dog tail sheave. Atleast one sling line is used to connect the first sling line anchorpoint to the second sling line anchor point.

Once the well drilling apparatus has been assembled in its horizontalposition, the dog tail is first raised to its vertical position. The dogtail spooler is then activated so that the dog tail is lowered back toits horizontal position. At the same time, the mast is raised via the atleast one sling line. Once the mast is in its fully vertical operatingposition, the equipment is secured by installing a rear leg drill floorpin and a rear leg pin.

In an alternative embodiment, the mast assembly raising system utilizesa hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic arm and a transitional pulling sheave,in lieu of the dog tail spooler. This mechanism operates under the sameprinciple as the previous embodiment, except that the transitionalpulling sheave moves back and forth along the length of thesubstructure.

The foregoing has outlined the features and technical advantages of thepresent invention in order that the detailed description of theinvention that follows may be better understood. Additional features andadvantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form thesubject of the claims of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and aspects of the present inventionwill be best understood with reference to the following description of aspecific embodiment of the invention, when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a driller side elevation of various transportablepre-assembled modular sections of a well drilling apparatus inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention inits horizontal field assembly position;

FIG. 2B illustrates an overhead plan view of the well drilling apparatusin accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in itshorizontal field assembly position;

FIG. 3 illustrates a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionwherein its mast and drill floor are in a position between itshorizontal field assembly position and its vertical operating position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionwherein its mast is in its vertical operating position;

FIG. 4B illustrates an overhead plan view of the well drilling apparatusin accordance with one embodiment of the present invention wherein itsmast is in its vertical operating position;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front schematic view of the well drilling apparatusin accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in its fullyerected and operating position;

FIG. 6 illustrates a driller side elevation of a blow-out preventerhandling and transporting device in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a driller side elevation of the blow-out preventerhandling and transporting device in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention wherein a blow-out preventer is in a positionbetween its horizontal position and its vertical operating position;

FIG. 8 illustrates a driller side elevation of the blow-out preventerhandling and transporting device in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention wherein the blow-out preventer is in its verticaloperating position; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a driller side elevation of the blow-out preventerhandling and transporting device in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention wherein the blow-out preventer is lifted by atraveling block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use the invention. The general principles describedherein may be applied to embodiments and applications other than thosedetailed below without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims. The presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but isto be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles andfeatures disclosed herein.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods, and devices for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Referring to the drawings, it should be noted that the various partshave been numbered with “a” on the driller's side while parts on theopposite side of the apparatus, which may or may not be shown, isnumbered with a “b”. Sometimes, a part may be numbered with a “c” on thedriller's side, in which case, on the opposite side of the apparatus,there is a part, which may or may not be shown, that is numbered with a“d”. In most instances, parts will be numbered and shown only on thedriller's side, it being recognized by the reader that the respectivepart on the opposite side of the apparatus referred to in thedescription is merely a mirror image of the part shown in the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a driller side elevation of various transportablepre-assembled modular sections of a well drilling apparatus 1 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Thefirst transportable assembled modular section is a substructure 10 whichis transported in an assembled configuration. This section is designedto be transportation ready or within 12′ width×12′ height×60′ length.The substructure's 10 base is boat-shaped, wherein there are twohorizontal, parallel beams running lengthwise and connected to eachother by two horizontal, parallel beams running widthwise. Although thesubstructure's 10 base is illustrated as having only two beams runninglengthwise and two beams running widthwise, the substructure's 10 basemay have more beams running lengthwise and more or less beams runningwidthwise without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention.

From the view shown in FIG. 1, one can see that the substructure 10includes a deadline anchor 12, a powered drill line spooler 14, amessenger line winch 16 and a drawworks 18, which are located on itsrear portion, and a mast starter section 40 a, an elevatable drill floor42 comprising a rotary drill floor 44 being attached to a setback drillfloor 46, a supporting leg 50 a (FIG. 3), a supporting leg mount 54 a, arear leg mount 60 a, a front leg mount 66 a, a dog tail 70 a (FIG. 2)having a second dog tail sheave 24 a and a first sling line anchor point72 a attached to its top and a dog house and driller console 74, whichare located on its front portion. The drawworks 18 for the drillingapparatus 1 is pre-assembled and rests on the rear side of thesubstructure 10, at truck bed height off the ground. The drawworks 18 islocated at this height, whether the mast is in a raised position or in alowered position, so as to allow a truck to be able to load and/orunload the drawworks 18 on or off the substructure 10.

The mast starter section 40 a is initially positioned horizontally andis shown to be three sections long. Although this embodiment depicts themast starter section 40 a to be three sections long, one skilled in theart will understand that the mast starter section 40 a can have more orless sections depending upon certain requirements without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the present invention. There is also a dog tailspooler 20 a located very close to the substructure's 10 front portionand a first dog tail sheave 22 a that is located close to thesubstructure's 10 rear portion. Although only one supporting leg 50 a(FIG. 3), one supporting leg mount 54 a, one rear leg mount 60 a, onefront leg mount 66 a, one dog tail 70 a (FIG. 2), one second dog tailsheave 24 a, one first sling line anchor point 72 a, one dog tailspooler 20 a and one first dog tail sheave 22 a is shown from thedriller's side perspective, the same parts exist on the opposite side ofthe apparatus.

In the transported assembled state, the dog tail spooler 20 a is incommunication with the first dog tail sheave 22 a, which in turn is incommunication with the second dog tail sheave 24 a, via a dog tail line130 a. Also, a front leg 64 a (FIG. 3) of the mast starter section 40 ais initially positioned horizontally and is pivotally attached to thefront leg mount 66 a via a front leg pin 68 a (FIG. 3). The elevatabledrill floor 42, which is attached to the dog house and driller console74, is also positioned horizontally and is pivotally attached to thefront leg 64 a (FIG. 3) of the mast starter section 40 a, via a frontleg drill floor pin 48 a (FIG. 3). Finally, the supporting leg 50 a(FIG. 3) is initially positioned horizontally and is pivotally connectedto the supporting leg mount 54 a and the front portion of the elevatabledrill floor 42 via a first supporting leg pin 52 a (FIG. 3) and a secondsupporting leg pin 56 a (FIG. 3), respectively. Also, the dog tail 70 a(FIG. 2) is v-shaped, wherein the two legs of the “v” are pivotallyattached to one of the horizontal, parallel beams running widthwiseacross the substructure's 10 base and is located approximately in themiddle of the substructure's 10 base running lengthwise.

The other transportable pre-assembled modular sections include a maststrong back 80, a mast bottom section 90, a mast intermediate section100 and a mast top section 110. The mast strong back 80 is shown to haveone section. Although this embodiment depicts the mast strong back 80 tobe one section long, one skilled in the art will understand that themast strong back 80 can have more sections or eliminated entirelydepending upon certain requirements without departing from the scope andspirit of the present invention. In this embodiment, the mast strongback 80 is designed to have a nominal hauling size of 12′ width×8′-10″height×24′ length. The mast strong back 80 also has a guide track 120for a traveling block 114. This guide track 120 is removable so that themaximum traveling width of 12′ can be maintained.

The mast bottom section 90 is shown to have four sections. Although thisembodiment depicts the mast bottom section 90 to be four sections long,one skilled in the art will understand that the mast bottom section 90can have more sections or less sections depending upon certainrequirements without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention. Also, a bellyboard 92 is attached about halfway along themast bottom section's 90 front leg. Although this embodiment depicts thebellyboard 92 to be located halfway along the mast bottom section's 90front leg, one skilled in the art will understand that the bellyboard 92can be positioned anywhere along the mast 30 or eliminated entirelywithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, the mast bottom section 90 is designed to have anominal hauling size of 10′ width×8′-3″ height×40′ length. The mastbottom section 90 also has a guide track 120, which is built-in, for thetraveling block 114.

The mast intermediate section 100 is shown to have four sections.Although this embodiment depicts the mast intermediate section 100 to befour sections long, one skilled in the art will understand that the mastintermediate section 100 can have more sections or less sectionsdepending upon certain requirements without departing from the scope andspirit of the present invention. Also, a racking board 104 is pivotallyattached to a racking board positioning block 107 a via a racking boardpin 106. The racking board positioning block 107 a is positioned betweenthe third and fourth sections along the mast intermediate section's 100front leg. Although this embodiment depicts the racking boardpositioning block 107 a to be located between the third and fourthsections along the mast intermediate section's 100 front leg, oneskilled in the art will understand that the racking board positioningblock 107 a can be positioned anywhere along the mast 30. The rackingboard 104 is used for drill pipe storage and is in a foldable position.This embodiment also shows that a second sling line anchor point 102 islocated about halfway along the mast intermediate section's 100 rearleg. Although the second sling line anchor point 102 is located abouthalfway along the mast intermediate section's 100 rear leg, one skilledin the art will understand that it may be located anywhere along themast 30 without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention. In this embodiment, it is preferable, but not necessary, thatthis second sling line anchor point 102 be located on the mastintermediate section 100 so that less force will be required to raisethe mast 30 from the horizontal position to the vertical position. Inthis embodiment, the mast intermediate section 100 is designed to have anominal hauling size of 10′ width×8′-3″ height×40′ length. The mastintermediate section 100 also has a guide track 120, which is built-in,for the traveling block 114.

The mast top section 110 is shown to have four sections. Although thisembodiment depicts the mast top section 110 to be four sections long,one skilled in the art will understand that the mast top section 110 canhave more sections or less sections depending upon certain requirementswithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, the mast top section 110 is designed to have a nominalhauling size of 10′ width×8′-3″ height×40′ length. The mast top section110 also has a guide track 120, which is built-in, for the travelingblock 114 and also accommodates the traveling block 114 and a crownblock 112 during transport. The traveling block 114 is also supported tothe mast top section 110 via a first traveling block tie down 116 a anda second traveling block tie down 118 a so that it remains stable duringtransport. The crown block 112, which consists of a fast-line sheave(not shown) and two deadline sheaves (not shown), is positioned at thehead of the mast top section 110. Also during transport, the travelingblock 114 and the crown block 112 are fully strung up via a messengerline 134. In this embodiment, the messenger line 134 is ⅜″, but oneskilled in the art will recognize that other thicknesses may be utilizedwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus 1 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention in its horizontal field assembly position. FIG. 2 p shows anoverhead plan view of the well drilling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 andshould be viewed in conjunction with FIG. 2. Once the pre-assembledsections of the well drilling apparatus 1 are transported to the desiredsite, the substructure 10 is first positioned in the proper location.The substructure 10 is placed on top of a diamond plated metal (notshown), which provides traction between the diamond plated metal and thesubstructure 10 and stability for the substructure 10 during operation.The bottom of the mast strong back 80 is then securely attached to thehead of the mast starter section 40 a, via pins. The bottom of the mastbottom section 90 is then securely attached to the head of the maststrong back 80, via pins. The bottom of the mast intermediate section100 is then securely attached to the head of the mast bottom section 90,via pins. Finally, the bottom of the mast top section 110 is securelyattached to the head of the mast intermediate section 100, also viapins. Although this embodiment uses pins to securely attach each of thesections to another section, one skilled in the art will recognize thatother attachment methods, including screws, fasteners, rivets and othermethods known in the art, can be used without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. In this embodiment, this entirestructure can be assembled entirely at ground level using a forklift ora gin truck. The use of a crane is not required for assembling any partof the structure. Although this embodiment uses a forklift or a gintruck to assemble the entire structure at ground level, any apparatusknown in the art may attach the sections at ground level withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Once the entire mast 30 is assembled horizontally along ground level,the dog tail 70 a is raised to a vertical position. The dog tail spooler20 a is still in continuous communication with the first dog tail sheave22 a, which in turn is still in continuous communication with the seconddog tail sheave 24 a, via the dog tail line 130 a. The dog tail line 130a travels from the dog tail spooler 20 a and wraps around the first dogtail sheave 22 a. The dog tail line 130 a then continues and wrapsaround the second dog tail sheave 24 a, which then returns back to andanchors onto the first dog tail sheave 22 a. Although this embodimentillustrates that the dog tail line 130 a anchor point is on the firstdog tail sheave 22 a, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat the dog tail line 130 a anchor point can be located anywhere on thesubstructure 10 without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent invention. Also, although only two dog tail sheaves, as seenfrom the driller's side perspective, are illustrated in this embodiment,more than two dog tail sheaves may be used without departing from thescope and spirit of the present invention.

A pair of sling lines 132 a, 132 c is securely attached at one end tothe first sling line anchor point 72 a and the other end to the secondsling line anchor point 102. These sling lines 132 a, 132 c are securedtightly so as to keep the dog tail 70 a in its upright position. Thesesling lines 132 a, 132 c are also used to raise the mast 30 to itsvertical operating position. Although this embodiment illustrates a pairof sling lines 132 a, 132 c, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the number of sling lines can be more or less withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

To save on rigging time, a messenger line 134 (FIG. 1) is temporarilystrung through the crown block 112 and traveling block 114 when the mast30 is being transported. After the mast 30 has been assembled in thehorizontal assembly position, a messenger line winch 16 is fastened tothe deadline end of the messenger line 134 (FIG. 1) and a drill line136, which is stored in the powered drill line spooler 14, is attachedto the fast line end of the messenger line 134 (FIG. 1). The messengerline winch 16 will pull in the messenger line 134 (FIG. 1) while thepowered drill line spooler 14 pays out drill line 136 until the drillline 136 is completely strung between the crown block 112 and thetraveling block 114.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionwherein its mast 30 (FIG. 2) and drill floor 42 are in a positionbetween its horizontal field assembly position and its verticaloperating position. Once the well drilling apparatus 1 is fullyassembled at ground level and the dog tail 70 a is raised and fixed inits vertical position, the dog tail spooler 20 a is wound so that thedog tail line 130 a wraps itself around the dog tail spooler 20 a. As aresult of the wrapping and the anchoring of the dog tail line 130 a, thedog tail 70 a pivotally moves back towards its horizontal position,while simultaneously causing the mast 30 (FIG. 2) to pivotally rise toits vertical operating position.

As the mast 30 (FIG. 2) rises to its vertical position, the mast startersection's 40 a front leg 64 a pivots around the front leg mount 66 a,which slowly brings the mast starter section's 40 a rear leg 58 a closerto the rear leg mount 60 a. Once the mast 30 (FIG. 2) is positioned inits vertical operating position and the dog tail 70 a is back in itsinitial horizontal position, the mast starter section's 40 a rear leg 58a is seated properly in the rear leg mount 60 a. A rear leg pin 62 a isthen inserted in the rear leg mount 60 a so that the mast 30 (FIG. 2) issecurely positioned.

The entire elevatable drill floor 42 is coupled together with the maststarter section 40 a as a parallelogram and is raised to its properhorizontal operating elevation at the same time the mast 30 (FIG. 2) israised to its vertical position. Throughout the entire mast raisingprocess, the elevatable drill floor 42 continuously remains in ahorizontal position, thereby allowing equipment to be laid out on top ofthe elevatable drill floor 42 and be raised with it during assembly.This reduces manpower time and equipment needed for assembly. Thesupporting leg 50 a pivots around both the supporting leg mount 54 a andthe attachment point with the elevatable drill floor 42. The elevatabledrill floor 42 also pivots around its attachment point with the maststarter section's 40 a front leg 64 a. Thus, these pivoting locationsallow the elevatable drill floor 42 to remain in a substantiallyhorizontal position while the mast 30 (FIG. 2) is being raised orlowered.

FIG. 4 illustrates a driller side elevation of the well drillingapparatus 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionwherein its mast 30 is in its vertical operating position. FIG. 4 pshows an overhead plan view of the well drilling apparatus 1 shown inFIG. 4 and should be viewed in conjunction with FIG. 4. Once the mast 30is in its vertical operating position, the rear leg pin 62 a, asmentioned previously, and a rear leg drill floor pin 47 a are installedso that the well drilling apparatus 1 becomes operationally sturdy. Theracking board 104 is also securely fastened to the mast intermediatesection 100 via a racking board pin 106 so as to prevent furtherpivoting.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front schematic view of the well drilling apparatus1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in itsfully erected and operating position. This figure more clearlyillustrates a front profile view of the crown block 112, the mast 30,the racking board 104, the traveling block 114, the elevatable drillfloor 42, the mast starter sections 40 a, 40 b, and a blow-out preventer280. The blow-out preventer 280 is required to be placed on the wellheadbefore drilling commences. It can be seen that the well drillingapparatus 1 can be lowered and disassembled into its severalpre-assembled pieces without interfering with the installed blow-outpreventer 280.

The procedure for installing the blow-out preventer 280 can be readilyseen in FIGS. 6-9. A blow-out preventer handling and transporting device200 comprises a trolley 220 that is movably connected to a skid 210. Thetrolley 220 is a component of the modular system and serves as ashipping support for the blow-out preventer 280. A control panel 230,located on the skid 210, is in communication with the trolley 220 sothat the trolley 220 may move in a front-rear direction with respect tothe skid 210. A hydraulic arm 240 a is pivotally attached to the trolley220 at a trolley mount 225 a at one end and is pivotally attached to ablow-out preventer base 250 at a blow-out preventer base mount 255 a.The hydraulic arm 240 a is used for lowering and raising the blow-outpreventer base 250. The blow-out preventer 280 is removably attached tothe blow-out preventer base 250 via brackets 260 and pins (not shown).Although this embodiment shows three brackets 260, each having threepins, bolts, or screws, one skilled in the art will recognize that moreor less brackets may be used with each having more or less pins, boltsor screws without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side elevation of a blow-out preventer handling andtransporting device 200 that is positioned appropriately in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. To install the blow-outpreventer 280, the skid 210 and trolley 220 are first appropriatelypositioned above a well's centerline 270, such that the well'scenterline 270 passes through the skid 210 but not through the trolley220.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side elevation of the blow-out preventer handlingand transporting device 200 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the blow-out preventer 280 is in a positionbetween its horizontal position and its vertical operating position. Asillustrated in this figure, the control panel 230 positions thetrolley's 220 rear edge to align directly above the well's centerline270. This positioning allows for the blow-out preventer's 280 centerlineto be aligned with the well's centerline 270 once the blow-out preventer280 is raised to its vertical operating position. Once the skid 210 andtrolley 220 are appropriately positioned, the control panel 230 lowersthe hydraulic arm 240 a and then raises the blow-out preventer base 250.The blow-out preventer base 250 is pivoted hydraulically around theblow-out preventer base mount 255 a until it reaches a verticalposition.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side elevation of the blow-out preventer handlingand transporting device 200 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the blow-out preventer 280 is in its verticaloperating position. Once the blow-out preventer 280 has been raised toits vertical position, the hydraulic arm 240 a is raised back to itshorizontal position, thereby lifting the blow-out preventer 280. Thetraveling block 114 (FIG. 5) is then lowered and connected to theblow-out preventer 280 via three supporting lines 290. Although thisembodiment depicts three supporting lines 290, one skilled in the artwill recognize that more or less supporting lines may be used withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a side elevation of the blow-out preventer handlingand transporting device 200 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the blow-out preventer 280 is lifted by thetraveling block 114 (FIG. 5). Once the traveling block 114 (FIG. 5) issecurely fastened to the blow-out preventer 280, the brackets 260 areunfastened from the blow-out preventer base 250. The traveling block 114(FIG. 5) then lifts the blow-out preventer 280 so that the skid 210 andtrolley 220 may be moved away. Finally, the traveling block 114 (FIG. 5)lowers the blow-out preventer 280 onto the well's centerline 270 so thatit can be properly installed.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), a different method, other thanutilizing the dog tail spooler, may be used to raise and lower the dogtail, which results in raising and lowering the mast. The first dog tailsheave, the second dog tail sheave and the dog tail are still used inthe same manner as described in the previous embodiment. Thisalternative embodiment utilizes a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic armand a transitional pulling sheave, in lieu of the dog tail spooler. Thehydraulic cylinder is attached horizontally along the front portion ofthe substructure. The hydraulic arm is located partially within thehydraulic cylinder and movably extends toward the first dog tail sheave.The transitional pulling sheave is securely attached to the hydraulicarm's end, which is closer to the first dog tail sheave. In thisalternative embodiment, the dog tail line is wrapped around thetransitional pulling sheave, the first dog tail sheave and the seconddog tail sheave. Here, when the hydraulic cylinder pushes the hydraulicarm towards the first dog tail sheave, more dog tail line is availablebetween the first dog tail sheave and the second dog tail sheave, thuscausing the dog tail to rise and the mast to lower. However, when thehydraulic cylinder pulls the hydraulic arm away from the first dog tailsheave, less dog tail line is available between the first dog tailsheave and the second dog tail sheave, thus causing the dog tail tolower and the mast to rise.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, these descriptions are not meant to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, aswell as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent topersons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of theinvention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theconception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilizedas a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying outthe same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realizedby those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims. It is therefore, contemplated that the claims willcover any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the truescope of the invention.

1. A well drilling apparatus comprising: a pre-assembled transportablesubstructure having a rear end and a front end, and also having at leasttwo front leg mounts, at least two rear leg mounts and at least twosupport leg mounts, wherein the substructure further comprises: a maststarter section, located at the front end of the substructure, having atleast two front legs and at least two rear legs, wherein the at leasttwo front legs are pivotally attached to the at least two front legmounts; at least two supporting legs pivotally attached to the at leasttwo support leg mounts at one end; an elevatable drill floor pivotallyattached to the second end of the at least two supporting legs andwherein the elevatable drill floor is also pivotally attached to the atleast two front legs of the mast starter section; at least one dog tailpivotally attached to the substructure, wherein the at least one dogtail is adapted for raising a mast assembly from its horizontal assemblyposition to its vertical operating position; and a mast assembly raisingsystem that communicates forces between the substructure, the at leastone dog tail and the mast assembly, wherein the mast assembly raisingsystem can raise the mast assembly to its vertical operating position byhaving the at least two front legs of the mast starter section pivotaround the at least two front leg mounts and thereby causing the atleast two rear legs of the mast starter section to attach itself to theat least two rear leg mounts; a pre-assembled mast strong back, whereinthe mast strong back is connected to the mast starter section at groundlevel without a crane, thereby forming a part of the mast assembly; atleast one pre-assembled transportable mast intermediate section, whereinthe at least one mast intermediate section is connected to the maststrong back at ground level without a crane, thereby forming a part ofthe mast assembly; a pre-assembled transportable mast top section havinga crown block in communication with a traveling block via a messengerline, wherein the mast top section is assembled at the top of the atleast one mast intermediate section at ground level without a crane,thereby forming the rest of the mast assembly; and a second anchorpoint, located along the length of the mast assembly, for providingcommunication from the mast assembly raising system to the mastassembly.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second anchor pointis located on the at least one mast intermediate section.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the second anchor point is located on themast top section.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substructurefurther comprises a removable drawworks assembly, located at the rearend of the substructure, for operating the traveling block within themast assembly, and the removable drawworks assembly remains at the rearend of the substructure when the elevatable drill floor is elevated. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elevatable drill floor comprises arotary drill floor and a setback drill floor.
 6. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the elevatable drill floor further comprises a dog house anddriller console.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elevatabledrill floor remains at a substantially horizontal position throughoutthe raising and lowering of the mast assembly and the mast startersection.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mast assembly raisingsystem comprises: at least one dog tail spooler located near the frontend of the substructure; at least one first dog tail sheave located nearthe rear end of the substructure; at least one second dog tail sheavelocated at the top end of the at least one dog tail; a first anchorpoint located at the top end of the at least one dog tail; at least onedog tail line connecting the at least one dog tail spooler to the atleast one second dog tail sheave via the at least one first dog tailsheave; and at least one sling line securely connecting the first anchorpoint to the second anchor point.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe mast assembly raising system comprises: at least one hydrauliccylinder, wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder has a hydraulicarm that is movable within the at least one hydraulic cylinder and atransitional pulling sheave located at the top of the hydraulic arm,wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder is positioned horizontallyalong the front end of the substructure and extends toward the rear endof the substructure; at least one first dog tail sheave located near therear end of the substructure; at least one second dog tail sheavelocated at the top end of the at least one dog tail; a first anchorpoint located at the top end of the at least one dog tail; at least onedog tail line connecting the at least one transitional pulling sheave tothe at least one second dog tail sheave via the at least one first dogtail sheave; and at least one sling line securely connecting the firstanchor point to the second anchor point.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the at least one mast intermediate section and the mast topsection have built-in guide rails.
 11. A well drilling apparatuscomprising: a pre-assembled transportable substructure having a rear endand a front end, and also having two front leg mounts, two rear legmounts and two support leg mounts, wherein the substructure furthercomprises: a mast starter section, located at the front end of thesubstructure, having two front legs and two rear legs, wherein the twofront legs are pivotally attached to the two front leg mounts; twosupporting legs pivotally attached to the two support leg mounts at oneend; an elevatable drill floor pivotally attached to the second end ofthe two supporting legs and wherein the elevatable drill floor is alsopivotally attached to the two front legs of the mast starter section;two dog tails pivotally attached to the substructure, wherein the twodog tails are adapted for raising a mast assembly from its horizontalassembly position to its vertical operating position; and a mastassembly raising system that communicates forces between thesubstructure, the two dog tails and the mast assembly, wherein the mastassembly raising system can raise the mast assembly to its verticaloperating position by having the two front legs of the mast startersection pivot around the two front leg mounts and thereby causing thetwo rear legs of the mast starter section to attach itself to the tworear leg mounts; a pre-assembled mast strong back, wherein the maststrong back is connected to the mast starter section at ground levelwithout a crane, thereby forming a part of the mast assembly; aplurality of pre-assembled transportable mast intermediate sections,wherein one of the plurality of mast intermediate sections is connectedto the mast strong back at ground level without a crane, and wherein theremaining mast intermediate sections are connected to the other mastintermediate sections at ground level without the crane, thereby forminga part of the mast assembly; a pre-assembled transportable mast topsection having a crown block in communication with a traveling block viaa messenger line, wherein the mast top section is assembled at the topof the plurality of mast intermediate sections at ground level without acrane, thereby forming the rest of the mast assembly; and a secondanchor point, located along the length of the mast assembly, forproviding communication from the mast assembly raising system to themast assembly.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second anchorpoint is located on one of the plurality of mast intermediate sections.13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second anchor point islocated on the mast top section.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, whereinthe substructure further comprises a removable drawworks assembly,located at the rear end of the substructure, for operating the travelingblock within the mast assembly, and the removable drawworks assemblyremains at the rear end of the substructure when the elevatable drillfloor is elevated.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the elevatabledrill floor comprises a rotary drill floor and a setback drill floor.16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the elevatable drill floorfurther comprises a dog house and driller console.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein the elevatable drill floor remains at a substantiallyhorizontal position throughout the raising and lowering of the mastassemble and the mast starter section.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein the mast assembly raising system comprises: two dog tailspoolers located near the front end of the substructure; two first dogtail sheaves located near the rear end of the substructure; two seconddog tail sheaves located at the top end of each of the two dog tails; afirst anchor point located at the top end of each of the two dog tails;two dog tail lines connecting the two dog tail spoolers to the twosecond dog tail sheaves via the two first dog tail sheaves; and at leastone sling line securely connecting the first anchor point to the secondanchor point.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mast assemblyraising system comprises: two hydraulic cylinders, wherein each of thetwo hydraulic cylinders has a hydraulic arm that is movable within thehydraulic cylinder and a transitional pulling sheave located at the topof the hydraulic arm, wherein the two hydraulic cylinders are positionedhorizontally along the front end of the substructure and extends towardthe rear end of the substructure; two first dog tail sheaves locatednear the rear end of the substructure; two second dog tail sheaveslocated at the top end of each of the two dog tails; a first anchorpoint located at the top end of each of the two dog tails; two dog taillines connecting the two transitional pulling sheaves to the two seconddog tail sheaves via the two first dog tail sheaves; and at least onesling line securely connecting the first anchor point to the secondanchor point.
 20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mastintermediate sections and the mast top section have built-in guiderails.
 21. A method of erecting a well drilling apparatus having apre-assembled transportable substructure with a front end and a rearend, which includes an elevatable drill floor, at least one dog tail, amast assembly raising system which connects the substructure to the atleast one dog tail, and a mast starter section, wherein the elevatabledrill floor, the at least one dog tail, and the mast starter section areinitially positioned in its horizontal assembled position, at least onepre-assembled transportable mast intermediate section and apre-assembled transportable mast top section mast strong back comprisingthe steps of: assembling the mast strong back horizontally to the top ofthe mast starter section while at ground level; assembling the at leastone mast intermediate section horizontally to the top of the mast strongback while at ground level; assembling the mast top section horizontallyto the top of the at least one mast intermediate section; raising the atleast one dog tail to a vertical position; securing one end of at leastone sling line to the top of the dog tail and the second end to theintermediate mast section; activating the mast assembly raising systemso that the at least one dog tail is lowered back towards its initialhorizontal position while simultaneously raising the mast via the atleast one sling line and simultaneously raising the elevatable floor toits operating position, wherein the elevatable floor continuouslyremains at its substantially horizontal position throughout the raisingprocess, and wherein at least one front leg of the mast starter sectionpivots about at least one front leg mount, located within thesubstructure, thereby having at least one rear leg of the mast startersection attach to at least one rear leg mount, located within thesubstructure; and stabilizing the well drilling apparatus once it is inits fully vertical operating position.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein the mast assembly raising system comprises: at least one dogtail spooler located near the front end of the substructure; at leastone first dog tail sheave located near the rear end of the substructure;at least one second dog tail sheave located at the top end of the atleast one dog tail; and at least one dog tail line connecting the atleast one dog tail spooler to the at least one second dog tail sheavevia the at least one first dog tail sheave.
 23. The method of claim 21,wherein the mast assembly raising system comprises: at least onehydraulic cylinder, wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder has ahydraulic arm that is movable within the at least one hydraulic cylinderand a transitional pulling sheave located at the top of the hydraulicarm, wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder is positionedhorizontally along the front end of the substructure and extends towardthe rear end of the substructure; at least one first dog tail sheavelocated near the rear end of the substructure; at least one second dogtail sheave located at the top end of the at least one dog tail; and atleast one dog tail line connecting the at least one transitional pullingsheave to the at least one second dog tail sheave via the at least onefirst dog tail sheave.